Lately, I’ve been cooking boneless pork chops in place of the ubiquitous chicken breast. All chicken, all the time – it just gets too boring.

I like to rub the chops with salt, pepper and that great smoked paprika from Spain called pimenton. The paprika is a great match for pork of any kind. After pan-frying the chops, I add a light glaze of barbecue sauce for a touch of sweetness.

Sauteed sweet onions echo the flavor of the sauce for a great side dish.

Paprika Chops With Barbecue Glaze And Sweet Onions

If you like spicy foods, use the hot version of smoked paprika, or substitute with hot Hungarian paprika.

Makes 4 servings.

4 boneless pork loin chops, about 1-inch thick, trimmed

3/4 teaspoon salt

Â½ teaspoon smoked paprika

Freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 sweet onion, very thinly sliced

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Â¼ cup prepared barbecue sauce

To prepare chops: Sprinkle the chops on both sides with Â½ teaspoon of the salt, the paprika and pepper to taste; set aside.

To brown onions: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions, thyme and remaining Â¼ teaspoon of the salt; cook, stirring often, until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl.

To cook chops: Add the chops to the skillet; cook over medium-high heat to brown each side, about 5 minutes; lower heat to medium. Cover; cook chops until almost cooked through, about 5 minutes. Brush barbecue sauce over one side of each chop; turn, brush the other side. Cook 1 minute. Serve with onions on the side.

As you comment, please be respectful of other commenters and other viewpoints. Our goal with article comments is to provide a space for civil, informative and constructive conversations. We reserve the right to remove any comment we deem to be defamatory, rude, insulting to others, hateful, off-topic or reckless to the community. See our full terms of use here.

More in Things to Do

The original lyrics of the hit song “Clouds” — handwritten on a sheet of notebook paper — disappeared after Zach Sobiech’s funeral at the Church of St. Michael in Stillwater in 2013. The lyrics were part of a display at the church and were tucked away with other items for transport back to the Sobiechs’ house, said Laura Sobiech, Zach’s...

While Christmas stories abound via DVD and streaming services, special rewards can be found in a far more personal affair: reading one aloud from a book. Before you dismiss this as some archaic practice whose time has passed, consider attending one of this year’s “Christmas with Cantus” concerts. In the most inspired holiday offering the eight-man vocal group has presented...

Local bath and body store Garden of Eden, has announced it will close its Grand Avenue location. The shop, which has been in operation for 45 years, will be moving to an online sales model. The storefront, currently at 792 Grand Ave., will be open until Dec. 31. The website, gardenofedenstores.com, will expand its selection in 2018, according to a...

Rock the Garden announced Wednesday morning it will feature Father John Misty this summer. The popular outdoor music event from the Walker Art Center and Minnesota Public Radio’s The Current will take place June 16 at the Walker and Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. MPR and Walker members can get tickets in a presale from 10 a.m. Dec. 13 to 5 p.m....

George Lucas knew that amid all the human actors and state-of-the-art effects, even a small critter, if ill-conceived, could throw the entire “Star Wars” world out of whack. “If that puppet had not worked,” the filmmaker once said of Yoda’s introduction in “The Empire Strikes Back, “the whole film would have been down the tubes.” Yoda helped open the bay...